Alkmaar's Cheese Market remains a popular tourist spectacle and there's plenty to do in Alkmaar after you've watched the cheese porters do their Friday-morning ballet at the Waag, or weight house.

Amsterdam is one of Europe's most beautiful capitals. Other capitals may be grandiose or monumental but Amsterdam is intimate and accessible. No wonder it keeps drawing so many people back.

Den Haag is well known for its prestigious art galleries. It has a refined air, thanks to the stately  mansions and palatial embassies. Although the parliament and royal family are based here The Hague is not the national capital.

Haarlem is a handsome, mid-sized city. It makes a good alternative base for exploring North Holland, or even Amsterdam itself. The core of the city is Grote Markt and the adjoining Riviervischmarkt.

Leiden is home to The Netherlands' oldest university. Its 20.000 students make up one sixth of the population and lend an effervescent, intellectual aura. .

The Kroller-Muller Museum in Otterlo, is accessible by bus and train from Amsterdam. Its stellar Vincent Van Gogh collection will give you everything you came for, but you’ll be surprised at everything else.

Utrecht does not only offers great shopping, sidewalk cafes and all the ingredients for great clubbing. This surprising and friendly city boasts cultural and historical highlights.

The Zaanse Schans is a delightful old hamlet on the banks of the river Zaan with characteristic green wooden houses, charming stylised gardens, small hump-backed bridges, and historic windmills.

Zandvoort is one of the major beach resorts of the Netherlands; it has a long sandy beach. It is also the site of the country's most important automobile racing circuit, Circuit Zandvoort.